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The Environment

Birth Control for Animals

By Rebecca Boyle Posted on 3.3.2009 17 Comments
"Mother Goose" might soon be an anachronism. In wildlife biology, concerns about animal populations often stem from unnatural declines; in a few cases, however, that concern can be a result of too many animals, not too few, as some once-threatened species have returned with a vengeance. Now a group of researchers is fighting back with a familiar (to humans, at least) tactic: birth control.

3.15.2009 at 04:23pm - Comment by thunderstorm

Who really wants to eat an animal that could have been natural but now has a foreign, new substance in its system. I like my deer natural and bulky. This way I know I am getting good quality meat since I shot the deer and know its habitat. Instead of a cow who could have been popping pills since the day it was weaned off its mother's milk.
Science

Totally Tubular

By Brooke Borel Posted on 2.25.2009 5 Comments
Ever since the fish's discovery in 1939, scientists have believed that the tube-shaped eyes of Macropinna microstoma, commonly called the "barreleye," were fixed in place, limiting its vision to whatever was directly overhead. Recent research from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) proves this theory wrong: in reality, this crazy fish can rotate its eyes from an overhead view, which helps it locate prey swimming above, to the front of its face. This helps explain how the fish is able to actually capture the prey with its tiny mouth.

2.27.2009 at 10:40pm - Comment by thunderstorm

This is amazing. Just goes to show how much God still has to show us and science.
Entertainment & Gaming

Super Undergarments

By Brett Zarda Posted on 4.2.2009 2 Comments
In 2007, Dwight Howard donned a Superman cape before leaping to victory in the slam dunk competition. In an attempt to defend his title this weekend (he came in second), Howard topped his own theatrics by entering a phone booth for his annual costume change. The basketball player-cum-superhero returned to the court to dunk, not in a regulation 10-foot basket, but in a 12-foot-high hoop. While it's natural to attribute such supernatural feats to Howard's freakish physical stature -- or perhaps to the cape around his neck -- it was actually the skintight clothing beneath the cape that produced the boldest and most easily quantifiable performance enhancement. An undergarment described as, not clothing, but equipment, the Adidas Techfit Powerweb contains carefully placed strips of thermoplastic urethane that stores energy like a spring, and lets athletes release it on their villain of choice.

2.18.2009 at 03:42pm - Comment by thunderstorm

This is awesome. I play baseball and anything to help my game that is legal is awesome. I hope to see it around in the sports stores.
The Environment

Message In A Bottle

By Posted on 1.23.2009 11 Comments
Given the choice, you probably wouldn't risk sailing 11,500 miles from San Francisco to Sydney in a boat handmade of 20,000 plastic water bottles. But David de Rothschild, the founder of the nonprofit educational organization Adventure Ecology, sees such a vessel as the perfect way to "beat waste" by promoting new uses for recycled plastic while dramatizing the problem of ocean debris. Next month, de Rothschild and a crew of scientists will sail the Plastiki, a 60-foot catamaran, to environmental hotspots including Bikini Atoll, the former atomic-bomb testing site, and Tuvalu, an island rapidly disappearing under rising seas.

2.3.2009 at 11:50pm - Comment by thunderstorm

That is a cool way to use plastic bottles. Would plastic boats be better than metal boats? Plastic floats better so that would mean ships could hold more passengers.
The Environment

Deserts in the Ocean

By the Editors of E - The Environmental Magazine Posted on 10.13.2008 15 Comments
Dear EarthTalk: What are these "ocean deserts" I've been hearing about? Also didn't I read that there was a huge mass of plastic bottles floating around somewhere on the ocean surface? -- Wally Mattson, Eugene, OR

Article Rating:

10.25.2008 at 09:26pm - Comment by thunderstorm

Good article. Did not know about the dead zones. I did know about the garbage in the Pacific from a previous article and a little from tv.
The Environment

Wolf Hunts Already

By Posted on 4.9.2008 20 Comments
Ranchers and conservationists have long been at odds over how to manage the populations of predators at the top of the food chain. Now that wolves have been recently delisted from the Federal Endangered Species Act, state governments in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are wasting no time organizing hunts to reduce the animals' numbers, citing increased attacks on cattle as the reason for the culls. Conservationists are planning to respond with lawsuits against the federal government to attempt to bring the wolves back on the endangered list.

9.10.2008 at 12:52pm - Comment by thunderstorm

Totally cool with that. Out of curiosity, what do you hunt? Not to start a fight or anything (I think we are on the same side), I would love to have some ideas on how to live with wolves but not get bitten or them getting to used to humans. Maybe a way to scare them away or something.If we are going to live with them, I just want some ideas so that the kids in a neighborhood don't get stalked by wolves.
The Environment

We're Going to Live in the Trees

By Jaya Jiwatram Posted on 8.25.2008 16 Comments
The ultimate in green living is almost here. Think bus shelters, street lamps, and even houses -- all grown from trees. The process of shaping living trees to create objects, referred to as arborsculpture and pooktre, is well known among hobbyists (a simple Web search shows plenty of results for the art form). Now, researchers at Israel's Tel Aviv University are teaming up with eco-living company Plantware to create commercial structures on a larger scale.

9.2.2008 at 05:28pm - Comment by thunderstorm

Different species for different habitats makes sense. Trees with fire-proofing, beast. A lot of people don't know much about this topic (at least I don't) and I look forward to seeing such trees in parks and other places. It increases the chances for wildlife (especially birds and squirrels) to continue growing and makes the areas more pleasant to be in or about.
Science

Bigfoot Found Again

By Posted on 8.15.2008 10 Comments
Not since Harry and the Hendersons has the legend of Bigfoot, aka Sasquatch, aka Yowie, captured the attention of the country so thoroughly. This week, a pair of men from northern Georgia claimed they have found the body of the so-called Georgia Gorilla, and are keeping the remains in a chest freezer.

8.26.2008 at 12:38pm - Comment by thunderstorm

Wa261 is totally right. He looks just like Obama. Obama is an Obomination. I sure hope Obama doesn't win the presidency. He talks about change but what kinda change is he talking about good or bad. Does anybody think Obama will pull our troops out of Iraq and admit surrender.
The Environment

We're Going to Live in the Trees

By Jaya Jiwatram Posted on 8.25.2008 16 Comments
The ultimate in green living is almost here. Think bus shelters, street lamps, and even houses -- all grown from trees. The process of shaping living trees to create objects, referred to as arborsculpture and pooktre, is well known among hobbyists (a simple Web search shows plenty of results for the art form). Now, researchers at Israel's Tel Aviv University are teaming up with eco-living company Plantware to create commercial structures on a larger scale.

8.26.2008 at 12:27pm - Comment by thunderstorm

I totally agree with dontbother. People have already brought these concerns to the table and are going to work trying to fix them. I think this is a cool idea and if it works out great and if it doesn't work out, oh well. If humans can't live in them then see if they can do a fenced dog pen. That would free up some metal for the human race and possibly make products cheaper for a little while.
Gadgets

Sand Still

By Posted on 7.11.2008 2 Comments
It’s hard to tell if you've sanded a board smooth when you can't feel your fingers. That’s the dilemma with random-orbit sanders, which work the wood's surface using a round pad that not only spins but also slides from side to side randomly in all directions—in effect orbiting the center of the device. That shaking motion is great for removing material without gouging the wood. Unfortunately, it also rattles your hands, causing numbness and even lasting nerve and circulatory damage.

7.11.2008 at 06:11pm - Comment by thunderstorm

I totally know what they are talking about. The vibration in sanders drive me crazy. This is a good idea and should go over really well with the public. They need to get the word out now. I had not heard of this sander until Popsci said something about it.